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"The code to his childhood bedrooes it From Berlin"

"Well, he’s the head of a mercenary co Mr Wiggles Plush bunnies need the sahed, and she s along

"Holmes," I said, the way I’d done so often in the past--out of reflex, as punctuation, with nothing I really planned to say after

She let the er than was usual When she finally said "Watson," it ith hesitation

I thought of the questions I wanted to ask her All the horrible things I could say instead But all I said was, "Why are you reading to htened "Because ht along with the newest Louvre curator, and I thought we ht as well be prepared, because I rather doubt you know anything about Eastern Europe without uidance, and ant to prove to my mother that you’re not an idiot Oh," she said, as her phone pinged, "Milo’s changed the code to 666, just for us Char Go on and fetch your suit, but be quick We still need to discuss the Velvet Revolution of 1989"

At that moment, I wanted to take up ar I was stupid? I was, as usual, in over my head

To be fair, my own father had insinuated that this would be a difficult trip, though I don’t think he’d predicted the particulars When, a few days after the Bryony Downs affair wrapped up, I told him my plans--we’d spend the break atthat mybecause it was so obvious My mother hated the Holmeses, and the Moriartys, and mysteries I’m sure she hated tweed capes just on principle But after what had happened this fall, the thing she hated most was Charlotte Holmes herself

"Well,"to stay with them, I’m sure you’ll have a verynice ti for so else to say "And Holmes’s parents areah Well You know, I heard they had six bathroo "Leander will be there," I’d said, a bit desperate for so to look forward to Holtiood Leander will surely act as a buffer between you andanything you need a buffer for Excellent" Then he’d trotted out so hi me with a whole new host of doubts about Christht up the idea of us spending the break together, I’d begun i us somewhere like my mother’s apart a Doctor Who special by the fire Hole We were, in fact, already sprawled out onthe subject and just ask o down to Sussex I’d been actively avoiding that conversation "Be diplomatic," Holmes had said, then paused "By that I mean, plan out what you want to say, and then don’t say it"

It was no use Holmes and my father had predicted her reaction an shouting so loudly about Lucien Moriarty that the usually unflappable Holmes backed herself bodily into a corner

"You almost died," my mother concluded "The Moriartys almost killed you And you want to spend Christhold? What do you think this is, Bat Across the room, Holmes buried her head in her hands "Mum I’ll be fine I’m almost an adult, I can decide what to do with my holiday You know, I told Dad not to tell you about that whole near-death thing I said that you’d overreact, and I was right"

There was a long pause, and then the shouting got somewhat louder

When she capitulated--which she finally did, with extreme prejudice--it came with a price Our last few days in London werefrolish accent had returned, with a vengeance, on irl even took away your voice, she told in with; she certainly wasn’t happy I’d brought Holmes to visit in the first place I think it would’ve been a relief to both of them had she stayed behind, but I had a point I wanted to make--I was tired of my mother’s disdain for someone she’d never met Someone as important to me For my sake, my mother should be able to accept irl she was

That worked out about as well as you’d expect

Holmes and I spent a lot of time out of the house

I took her to my favorite bookstore, where I loaded her up with Ian Rankin novels and she bullieda book on European snails I took her to the chip shop on the corner, where she distracteda detailed-and-probably-bullshit account of her brother’s sex life (drones, cameras, his rooftop pool) while she ate all my fried fish and left her own plate untouched I took her for a walk along the Thames, where I showed her how to skip a stone and she nearly punctured a hole in a passing pontoon boat We went to otten this look on her face when she took her first bite of their pakora, this blissful, lids-lowered look, and two hours later I decided I needed to see it again It was so good to see her happy that it ht, when I found her instructing my sister, Shelby, on the best way to bleach out bloodstains, using the curry dribble on le" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true">